INR self-testing: Martin Smith

Martin Smith, a 59-year-old who founded and runs a successful marketing business, has been taking warfarin for the last six years since suffering a heart attack. Before signing up to the INR self-testing service, he used to visit the warfarin clinic every fortnight or month.

I’m a big advocate for warfarin as it has allowed me to extend my working life. I welcome self testing because it allows me to juggle my work obligations as well as my personal life and also plan our holidays. It just works for me. Self testing has allowed me to understand how warfarin works and helps me to stay in the ideal therapeutic range to keep myself as fit and healthy as possible. My readings are more consistent. It also helps me to follow a good diet and reminds me to avoid food and drink cause reactions like broccoli and cranberries. Previously it was a fortnight or a month between clinics and a fair bit can happen in that period. Now I can just test myself and ring the nurse for any advice. This new app is really positive for anybody that is still actively working. It is so portable. I can test myself on the train going up and down from London.